PAST EVENT

Celebrating the Life and Work of Oliver Sacks

Oliver Sacks, scientist and storyteller, was one of the most talented minds of our time. He offered us some of the most compelling and seminal ideas on evolution, consciousness, creativity and more, with passion and honesty. Sacks was instrumental in introducing autism, Tourette’s syndrome and schizophrenia to a general audience. A true polymath, Sacks explored many other topics both scientific and poetic, and he frequently turned his inquisitive mind onto his own experiences.

Sacks’ book, The River of Consciousness, is a posthumous collection of essays that reveals Sacks’ ability to make unexpected connections while also showing Sacks’ sheer joy in knowledge and uncovering his unceasing, timeless project to understand what makes us human. Join Bill Hayes, New York Times writer and photographer; Steve Silberman, science writer; and Victoria Sweet, associate clinical professor of medicine at UC San Francisco, in celebrating the extraordinary life and work of Oliver Sacks.

Author, NeuroTribes: The Legacy of Autism and the Future of Neurodiversity

Victoria Sweet

Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine, UC San Francisco

In Conversation with Kate Edgar

Executive Director, the Oliver Sacks Foundation

Commonwealth Club

The leading national forum open to all for the impartial discussion of public issues important to the membership, community and nation. The Commonwealth Club of California is the nation's oldest and largest public affairs forum. Each year, we bring nearly 500 events on topics ranging across politics, culture, society and the economy to more than 25,000 members and the public, both in-person and via an extensive online and on-air listenership and viewership.